Golf practice device and method



June 16, 1964 D. A. PICKLER GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE AND METHOD Filed Sept. 14, 1961 INVENTOR. David A. Pickler fPWM/m/f United States Patent 3,137,507 GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE AND METHOD David A. Pickler, 2484 Emerson St, Palo Alto, Calif. Filed Sept. 14, 1951, Ser. No. 138,043 4 Claims. (61. 273-186) This invention relates to a device and method for practicing the sport of golf where such practice has the goal of ultimately improving the relative position of the golf club and ball at the time of impact therebetween. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel type of golf ball for use with a golf club having recording means so that the point of impact between the golf club and ball appears on the recording means.

Generally, the present invention is a golf practice unit comprising ball contact recording means adapted for attachment to the face of a golf club. The recording means is formed from material that is statically deformable at randomly selected points. The unit further comprises a golf ball having projection means. The projection means is operable to statically deform the recording means at a random point when the recording means is contacted with the projection means.

In operation it is contemplated that the ball contact recording means will be attached to the face of a conventional golf club. The ball will suitably be set on a tee in the usual manner taking care, however, to position the projection means in such a way that the face of the golf club containing the recording means will strike the ball in the vicinity of its projection means. The projection means will penetrate the softer deformable recording means when the club strikes the ball. At the completion of the swing the face of the club may be inspected and the position of the static depression formed in the material on the golf club face by said projection means may be examined. It is then only a matter of correlating the position of the depression or deformation with the actual face of the golf club to determine the portion of the golf club face that would strike the golf ball but for the intervening ball recording means. Possessed with such information, the user of the present device and method may alter the swing so as to improve the point of contact between the club and ball so as to obtain for example, better drives.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a conventional golf club in perspective embodying the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows in side section a portion of the golf club and ball recording means shown in FIG. 1 and taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows in side section a portion of the ball shown in FIG. 1, in enlargement, and including the area of the ball supporting the projection means.

Golf has become well established as one of the more popular recreational sports. It is also a difrlcult sport in which to excel. It is therefore incumbent upon both novices and those of great experience from time to time to improve their skills in the sport through intelligent practice. It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a means and method permitting such intelligent practice so that a significant improvement in the play of the game may be derived therefrom.

Numerous previous attempts have been made with such an object in mind. However, these prior attempts have each had at least one and sometimes more drawbacks. For example, some prior devices provided no means for recording the point of impact altogether so that it was impossible to tell exactly how to correct a deficiency, if any. Other devices provided a record of the point of impact but such record was found on the ball only as opposed to the club, and the record on the ball was made only if certain parts of the club were struck by the ball. No indication of how far off from these certain parts the contact point actually was if contact was not made in the required area. Still other attempts have employed rather inconvenient color and wax transfers wherein the point of contact was not sharply defined. In this latter case it was not possible to mark the point of contact, such as with a number, for comparison of a plurality of strokes.

The present invention provides a device that will record and indicate with precision and sharp definition the precise point of contact between the ball and club no matter what part of the face of the club is used to strike the ball. An important advantage of the present device not found in any of the other prior art is the ability to mark the point of contact with a pencil, for example, after each stroke so that the improvement or lack thereof will be readily observable in relation to the next and/ or preceding strokes. The recorded contact point provided by the present invention is small and sharply defined and closely approximates the actual area involved between a conventional golf ball and the face of a conventional club.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional golf club 10. While the club shown is in fact a driver, it should be understood that the present invention is applicable to other types of clubs including irons as well. Club 10 includes a head 11 and a face 12. A cardboard member 13 cut to substantially the same shape as face 12 is mounted on face 12. As illustrated carboard member 13 is mounted on face 12 by a tacky adhesive (not shown). The method of mounting however, forms no part of the present invention and any other suitable mounting method may be employed such as by means of the band illustrated in Patent No. 2,495,679 to Abrecht patented January 31, 1950.

The invention also includes a golf ball 14. Ball 14 has a fixed relatively short narrow barb or projection 15 extending exteriorly therefrom. Barb 15 is made from a rigid material such as a metal or one of the harder and more durable plastics.

The only requirement for the types of material from which barb 15 and member 13 should be made is in their relative hardness with respect to each other. Barb 15 must be rigid enough to penetrate member 13 and form a depression. Member 13 must be made of a material soft enough to permit this action by barb 15 and thereafter statically retain the shape of the depression as opposed to the action of a sponge-like or resilient material which would resume the initial configuration when the barb is withdrawn. One type of suitable material for member 13 as already noted is cardboard. This meets all of the foregoing requirements when barb 15 is plastic or metal and yet is economically disposable.

Ball 14 is preferably of the practice type having a hollow interior and a plurality of holes 16 formed on its surface. This type of ball of course has the advantage of not traveling a great distance and thereby eliminating the necessity of walking long distances to retrieve the ball after each stroke.

To prevent even the hollow type of practice ball illustrated from traveling any substantial distance, it may be tied to the golf club itself with a suitable length of string 17. String 17 may alternatively be tied to a stake (not shown) inserted in the ground instead of to golf club 10.

One suitable way of obtaining a high degree of durability with respect to barb 15 is by forming the barb in the configuration of a T and embedding the head or top of the T in the surface of the ball 14 as most clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. This will prevent the repeated hammering on barb 15 by the golf club and member 13 from pushing the barb inwardly and ultimately destroying its utility.

In operation, the ball 14 is placed in a suitable position for being struck such as on atee 18. Barb 15 is faced in such a position that it will be struck by member 13 on club face 12. Impact of member 13 on barb 15 will leave an indentation in member 13 such as illustrated at 19. By making suitable adjustments in the swing, contact between member 13 and ball 14 may be suitably shifted to more appropriate places on the club face and these improvements may be ascertained by reference to subsequent holes or indentations such as 20 and 21. After each stroke the point of contact may be marked with a number by pencil for example, and progress or lack thereof readily ascertained.

Member 13 may, of course, be cut to fit the face of any of the various size clubs. A bulls-eye may be imprinted on the exterior face of member 13 if desired. Member 13 may also be made in a plurality of layers with an interior layer being of a diiferent color than the exterior layer so that the indentations 19, 2G and 21 will cause a different color to be visible from the exterior as compared with the color of the exterior of member 13. This will make the location of the indentations easier to find.

Instead of a single projection or barb 15 on ball 14 as in the drawing, the present invention contemplates the use of a plurality of projections appropriately spaced on ball 14. For example, it is suitable to use six equally spaced projections. By employing a plurality of projections the life span of the ball may be increased since a single projection during repeated use would eventually break or wear down, or the shape of the ball in the vicinity of the projection that is struck may become deformed. Having alternate projections allows the user to merely rotate the ball and strike it at a new place and still obtain the desired result.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by Way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit of the invention as limited only by the scope of the appended claims. I

What is claimed is:

1. A golf practice unit comprising, in combination, ball contact recording means adapted for attachment over substantially all of the face of a golf club, said recording means being formed from material that is statically deforrnable at randomly selected points, and a golf ball having a relatively short narrow barb extending exteriorly therefrom, said barb being formed from relatively harder material than said recording means whereby the barb will cause a stable deformation in the recording means substantially corresponding to the configuration of the barb when the recording means is contacted with the barb by striking the ball in the vicinity of the barb with the recording means.

2. A golf practice unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ball is of the practice type and has a hollow center and a plurality of holes formed by the surface of the ball.

3. A method for determining the point of contact between a golf ball and the striking face of a golf club which comprises covering substantially all of said golf club face with a statically deformable material and causing it to adhere thereto, striking a golf ball having a projection on its surface in the vicinity of said projection with the said covered club face, and inspecting the static depression formed in the material on said golf club face by said projection and correlating its position with the golf club face to determine the portion of the golf club face that would strike the golf ball but for said intervening deformable material.

4. A golf practice unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said barb is a T-shaped member having a head and a relatively short, narrow leg made from rigid material, and wherein the head of said T-shaped member is embedded in the surface of said golf ball with the leg projecting a short distance exteriorly thereof.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,942 Gray June 24, 1902 1,572,527 Goldsworthy Feb. 9, 1926 1,882,569 Hallatt Oct. 11, 1932 2,660,436 Grossman Nov. 24, 1953 2,812,184 McGee Nov. 5, 1957 2,884,254 Miner Apr. 28, 1959 2,908,504 Pratt Oct. 13, 1959 2,953,922 Bonkowski et al Sept. 27, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 666,156 Great Britain Feb. 6, 1 952 

1. A GOLF PRACTICE UNIT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, BALL CONTACT RECORDING MEANS ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT OVER SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE FACE OF A GOLF CLUB, SAID RECORDING MEANS BEING FORMED FROM MATERIAL THAT IS STATICALLY DEFORMABLE AT RANDOMLY SELECTED POINTS, AND A GOLF BALL HAVING A RELATIVELY SHORT NARROW BARB EXTENDING EXTERIORLY THEREFROM, SAID BARB BEING FORMED FROM RELATIVELY HARDER MATERIAL THAN SAID RECORDING MEANS WHEREBY THE BARB WILL CAUSE A STABLE DEFORMATION IN THE RECORDING MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF THE BARB WHEN THE RECORDING MEANS IS CONTACTED WITH THE BARB BY STRIKING THE BALL IN THE VICINITY OF THE BARB WITH THE RECORDING MEANS. 